Benefits of micronised Fenofibrate in type 2 diabetes mellitus subjects with good glycemic control

AIMS: To determine the effects of micronised fenofibrate on lipids and low density lipoprotein (LDL) subfraction in well-controlled diabetic subjects with mild elevations in cholesterol levels. METHODS: Thirty-five male type 2 diabetic subjects with LDL(3) greater than 100 mg/dl and good glycemic control (mean HbA1c 6.7%) were treated with micronised fenofibrate in an open labeled study for 6 months. Anthropometric indices, blood pressure, lipids, glucose, insulin, apolipoprotein A-I and B, and LDL subfraction by density ultracentrifugation were obtained after an overnight fast of 10 h, at the beginning and end of the 6 months treatment period. RESULTS: The blood pressure, waist to hip ratio, body mass index and glycemic control remained unchanged throughout the 6 months study period. Mean serum triglyceride fell from 2.49 to 1.72 mmol/l (33%) whilst HDL cholesterol increased from 0.88 to 0.96 mmol/l (10.8%). There were no significant changes in total or LDL cholesterol. Both LDL(1) and LDL(2) rose significantly whilst the dense LDL(3) fell from a mean of 148 to 85 mg/dl (43% reduction). Fenofibrate changed the LDL subfraction distribution from dense LDL(3) particles towards buoyant LDL(1) and LDL(2) particles in 63% of the subjects. No subjects had elevations in transaminases greater than three-fold or creatine kinase greater than ten-fold from pre-treatment levels. CONCLUSION: Diabetic subjects with mild hypercholesterolemia and good glycemic control may benefit from therapy with micronised fenofibrate because of the reduction in serum triglyceride, elevation in HDL cholesterol and a shift in LDL subfraction towards a non-atherogenic form.